1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing a chlorella fermented food.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chlorella is a food which is rich in proteins, chlorophyll, dietary fibers, a variety of vitamins and minerals, and has been conventionally consumed as an alternative of green and yellow vegetables or a nutraceutical food.
However, chlorella has a peculiar algal odor, and is thus inferior in flavor, which may hamper the intake in a large amount or over a long period of time. In addition, when chlorella is degraded, there also arises a drawback in production of pheophorbide, which is a causative agent of photosensitivity, by means of an enzyme referred to as chlorophyllase included in chlorophyll.
On the other hand, a method for producing a chlorella enzyme in which chlorella is mixed with an enzyme stock solution containing yeast for fermentation under certain conditions has been so far proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 9-322768 (1997) and 2002-218952; while a method for producing chlorella in which chlorella is mixed with a mixture of white rice malt (shiro-Koji) and a fermentation stock solution of vegetables, wild herbs and fruits which contains yeast for fermentation under certain conditions has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-88339.
However, the inventions described above relate to methods for processing an active ingredient of chlorella into a readily absorbable state, but do not intend to improve chlorella as a food which can be easily consumed. In particular, according to the inventions disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 9-322768 (1997) and 2002-218952, a solution containing yeast, mycobacterium, filamentous bacterium, lactic acid bacterium or the like is used as the enzyme stock solution, thereby leading to generation of a complicated fermentation flavor due to fermentation. Further, according to the invention disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-88339, in addition to the flavor originated from the enzyme stock solution containing yeast, mycobacterium, filamentous bacterium, lactic acid bacterium or the like, a peculiar flavor originated from fermented substances such as vegetables is added to it. Therefore, in either case, ease in taking chlorella is unsatisfactory.
Further, the foregoing inventions have no consideration with respect to the fact that chlorella is a material which readily produces pheophorbide. Chlorophyllase which produces pheophorbide is an enzyme included not only in chlorella but in vegetables and the like. In addition, since the enzyme activity of chlorophyllase is increased by alcohol, sufficient care is primarily required for a variety of points, such as amount of chlorophyllase included in the entire system, composition of the enzyme stock solution mixed with chlorella, various factors which affect the enzyme activity of chlorophyllase (for example, alcohol produced with fermentation) and the like.